649 - Mount Gerizim - Church of Mary Theotokos

Church Name, type, function

Site Name:

Mount Gerizim

Church name:

Church of Mary Theotokos

Functional Type:

Memorial

Dedication:

Dedicated to Mary Theotokos

Church type:

Concentric - Octagonal

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

225.95

678.48

Coordinates, ICS system:

175.94

1,178.50

Geographical region:

Southern and Western Samaria

Topographical location:

On the highest peak of Mount Gerizim

Distance from nearest settlement:

The church located on Mt. Gerizim, overlooking Neapolis (Shechem) on the south, in its immediate vicinity.

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina I

Bishopric:

Neapolis

Source of knowledge

Literary sources:

HideLiterary sources

Mount Gerizim - Church of Mary Theotokos

Source:

Proc. Caes., Aed.

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

Paragraph:

V, vii, 1-17

Translation:

(1) In Palestine there is a city named Neapolis, above which rises a high mountain called Garizin. (2) The Samaritans originally held this mountain; and they used to go up to the summit of the mountain to pray on all occasions, not because they had ever built any temple there, but because they worshipped the summit itsef with the greatest reverence. (3) When Jesus, the son of God, was in the body and went among the people there, he had a conversation with a certain local woman, and when this (woman) questioned him about the moutain, he replied that in the future not the Samaritans would worship on this mountain, but the true worshippers (meaning the Christians) would worship him in that place <a distortion of John 4:21–23>; and with the passing of time the prediction became a fact. (4) For it was not possible that he who was God should not utter truth. (5) And it came about as follows. During the reign of Zeno, the Samaritans suddenly banded together and fell upon the Christians in Neapolis, in the church, while they were celebrating the festival called Pentecost, and they killed many of them, and they struck with their swords the man who at that time was their bishop, Terebinthius by name, having found him standing at the holy table and performing the mysteries; and they gave him several cuts and slashed off the fingers of his hands; and they railed at the mysteries, as the Samaritans are wont to do, while we keep silence (in their presence). (6) And this priest straightway went to Byzantium and appeared before the ruling Emperor and displayed his wounds, relating what had happened and reminding the Emperor of the prophecy of Christ; and he begged him to avenge all that had been done. (7) The Emperor Zeno was greatly disturbed by what had happened and with no hesitation inflicted punishment in due measure upon those who had done these atrocities. He expelled the Samaritans from Mount Garizin and straightway handed it over to the Christians, and, building a church on the (mountain) top, he dedicated it to the Mother of God, fortifying this shrine with a wall, at least in theory, though in fact he just fenced it off (with a light wall). (8) And he established a garrison of soldiers (there), placing a large number in the city below, but not more than ten men at the fortifications and the church. (9) The Samaritans were vexed and very much distressed by these (measures) and angrily protested against their present condition, but for fear of the Emperor they were constrained to keep quiet. (10) But after some time, when Anastasius was holding the imperial office, the following happened. (11) Some of the Samaritans, incited by a woman’s suggestion, unexpectedly climbed the steep face of the mountain, since the path which leads there from the city was carefully guarded, and it was impossible for them to attempt the ascent by that route. (12) Entering the church by surprise, they killed the guards there and with a mighty cry summoned the Samaritans in the city. (13) They, however, for fear of the soldiers, were by no means willing to join the initiators of the attack. (14) And not long afterwards the governor of the province (he was Procopius of Edessa, a man of learning) captured the authors of the outrage and put them to death. (15) Yet no thought or provision for fortification was made by the Emperor at that time. (16) But now the Emperor Justinian, although he has converted the Samaritans for the most part to a more pious way of life and has made them Christians, left the old fortification around the church on Garizin in the form in which it was, a mere fence, as I have said; but by surrounding this with another wall on the outside, he made the place absolutely impregnable. (17) There, too, he restored five shrines of the Christians which had been burned down by the Samaritans. Thus, then, have these things been done.

(transl. Di Segni)

Bibliografical ref.:

Bibliography	Pages
Di Segni, L. and Tsafrir, Y., 2015	no. 50

Summary:

Emperor Zenon expels the Samaritans from Mount Gerizim and builds there a church dedicated to the Mother of God, from a panegyric of AD 550s.

Epigraphy:

HideEpigraphy

Text number	Summary
1	Votive dedication on flagstone from the pavement of the church.
2	Dedication and invocation on a flagstone from the pavement of the church.
3	Invocation of Nahum and his son, engraved on a heavy slab of stone.
4	Fragmentary dedication, engraved on a heavy slab of stone.
5	Dedication of Zosimos and Rebecca, engraved on a heavy slab of stone.
6	Fragmentary inscription engraved within a circle incised on top of a building stone.
7	An inscription labelling a stone from the Golgotha

Archaeological remains

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Magen	1980-90s

Bibliograpy:

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

The church is surrounded by a fortified enclosure wall ( 71 X 56 m) with towers and a gate, opens to the north. At a later phase, another fortified enclosure was attached from the north to the original one. The walls of the fortified enclosures have been preserved up to a height of 4 m in some places. The church itself preserved less well, especially its central space.

Description

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Figures

Atrium:

The church didn't have a real atrium but, instead of it, the church is surrounded by a peristyle (39 X 53 m) of rectangular piers (1 X 0.6 m), built of well hewn stones. The area between the peristyle and the outer enclosure wall possibly included rooms, as it is evident at the northern part. The area between the peristyle and the church was paved with stone slabs. To the west of the church there is a large cistern into which the water from the paved area drained.

Narthex:

At the entrance to the church there was a narthex probably paved with marble slabs. From the narthex an entrances led into two small triangular rooms (from north and south of the narthex), which served as antechambers for two western chapels.

Façade and entries:

From the narthex three entrances led into the church, the central one being the largest.

External Walls (for a concentric church):

The outer dimensions of the church are 30 X 37.4 m. It is octagonal in plan with the eastern side protruding in order to enclose an apse. The outer and inner faces of the walls are built of limestone ashlars with a fill between them.

Central space:

The central space was surrounded by an octagonal stylobate with column bases and corner pillars which supported the central dome. Only a few column fragments made of red limestone have been preserved. The central space was opened towards the central apse.

Ambulatory:

Surrounding the internal space.

Bema, chancel screen and apse:

The bema-apse unit raised above the floor and protruded to the east. The apse is internal. It is flanked by two small square rooms, entered from the outside of the church.

Small finds

Small finds:

Category
Coins
Pottery

Detailed description

Structure

Orientation:

Facing east

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Atrium:

No

Water cistern:

Yes

Narthex:

Yes

Capital types:

Corinthian

East end:

Internal apse

Church Head/Chevet:

n/a

Central Apse Category:

apsidal

Bema type:

U shaped without lateral openings

Ambo:

No

Apse elevation:

Flush with the bema

Apse shape:

Hemispherical

Synthronon:

No

Pastophoria

Pastophoria loci:

N & S

Description and function of northern:

Accessed from the outside northern side.

Description and function of southern:

Accessed from the outside southern side.

Cult of relics

Cult of relics loci:

elsewhere

Reliquiaries: shapes and contents:

In the center of the apse of the southeastern chapel, a hexagon-shaped stone installation was discovered. It was interpreted by its excavator as a reliquary.

Baptism

Loci:

The hexagon-shaped stone installation uncovered in the center of the apse of the SE annexed chapel - the largest among the four chapels and marble-reveted, was first interpreted by the excavator as a reliquary. But its graded shape and the absence of altar table imprints over it, rather suggest a baptismal font. A single step was installed along the western and the eastern sides of the hexagonal font.

Attached structures

Prothesis chapel / Diakonikon:

Apsidal chapel

Prothesis chapel / Diakonikon description:

The excavators assume that the northeastern chapel served as a prothesis and that the southeastern one as a diakonikon, as they serve in the present Greek Orthodox rite. But this is an anachronistic interpretation. The SE chapel seems to had served as a baptismal chapel.

Baptistery:

Apsidal chapel

Baptistery description:

The hexagon-shaped stone installation uncovered in the SE chapel was first interpreted as a baptismal font. According to another interpretation it served as a reliquary container - rare in attached chapels. A baptismal font interpretation should be preferred.

Martyrs chapel:

Apsidal chapel

Martyrs chapel description:

See supra, under Baptistery description.

Architectural Evolution

Phase name (as published)	General outline	Dating material	Phase no.	Century	Within century
Phase 1	Octagonal church surrounded by a peristyle and an enclosure wall.	The finds during the excavations were relatively few thus, the dating based mainly on the historical sources. According to Procopius (de Aedificiis V, vii. 7), the church at Mount Gerizim was constructed by Emperor Zenon, in 484 CE, as a punishment against the revolting Samatitans of Neapolis.	Phase 1	5th c.	Late
Phase 2	No evidence of any changes in the church plan was indicated during the excavations. At Phase 2 a new fortified enclosure with an open pool was added to the north of the entrance gate of the first phase. The fortifications were built by Justinian who stationed a garrison there (Procopius, de Aedificiis V, vii. 16).	The phase dating based on literary evidence, as indicated above.	Phase 2	6th c.	First half
			Abandonment	7th c.